Session 34

van Richten and Ezmerelda help the party find some clothes to stay warm on the way to the Amber Temple:

• Elora gets one of van Richten's extra fur coats
• Anakir gets a coat from Ezmerelda
• Shalooti cuts a coat in half and puts half on Metarlos
• Bardolf plans to use Heat Metal on Metarlos to help keep himself warm
• Pelanil skins the wolves that Ezmerelda killed earlier
  • the carcasses stink

Shalooti's polar bear reappears as she exists the tower. Her reflection during the trip reminded her of some magic that allows her to control the animal (Find Familiar).

Ezmerelda and van Richten offer to accompany the group to the Amber Temple. Ezmerelda climbs into her wagon from the bottom to unlock (and disarm) the back door, and whispers a command to summon two draft horses.

The group loads into the wagon and make their way south toward the Amber Temple.

Along the way, the party realizes they are being tailed by a group of ravens overhead. Anakir casts Fireball towards them which causes them to disperse.

After some time of climbing the steep, winding mountain road, the group reaches a place where road becomes too narrow for the wagon to continue. Ezmerelda parks it off to the side, and the party each carefully tiptoe across the split in the road. Anakir slips on his new coat and slides down the side of the mountain where he hears the sound of wolves following the party. Bardolf throws down his magic rope for Anakir to climb.

The wolves continue to follow, but Anakir and Pelanil work together to cause an avalanche to block the road. The group senses they are escaping the wolves.

The group eventually reaches a gate set into the side of the mountain. There is a portcullis closed in front of a wall of green flame.

As the group approaches, the gate raises allowing access to the flame and presumably the other side. After some investigation, and testing (by killing a li'l stick boi), the group decides that the best path is up and over.

Bardolf uses his magic rope to scale the stone gate. At the top, he begins surveying the guard tower and path ahead. The gargoyles on either side of him animate and attack.

Bardolf quickly restrains one with his rope and tosses it down to the rest of the party to deal with while he battles the other one still on top of the tower with him.

Ezmerelda reveals her ability to cast spells in addition to her excellent work with melee weapons.

Once the gargoyles are destroyed, the party climb the rope up and over the gate and make their way towards the bridge spanning the southern section of the Luna River. With the sun having just set behind them, they see what seems to be a black-cloaked rider on a charcoal-colored horse guarding the middle of the bridge.